HARARE – Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa has poured cold water on the notion that Vice President Constantino Chiwenga is the automatic heir to the party’s leadership when President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s second term expires in 2028.
Mutsvangwa dismissed the existence of a secret pact between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga, alleging that the latter would succeed him after their military coup in 2017.
In an interview published on Sunday by the Standard newspaper, Mutsvangwa stated that Zanu PF is not a monarchical institution where leaders are anointed, but rather a democratic entity where leaders emerge through grassroots elections.
He asserted that anyone aspiring to lead the party must earn the support of the people, rather than relying on endorsement from the president.
Mutsvangwa’s comments are seen as a veiled attack on Chiwenga’s perceived advantage in the succession race.
Mutsvangwa, who is rumored to harbor ambitions to lead the party himself, also cast doubt on Chiwenga’s role in the 2017 coup, suggesting that he was a reluctant participant.
He criticized Chiwenga’s alleged secret meeting with former President Robert Mugabe during the coup, implying that he wavered in his commitment to the operation. Mutsvangwa emphasized that Zanu PF is a democratic party that does not tolerate “godly anointments” or secret agreements on succession.
Even if Mnangagwa were to endorse Chiwenga as his successor, Mutsvangwa argued that this would be resisted by the party. He insisted that leaders must emerge through democratic processes, rather than through induction or magnetism.
“Everyone who goes into politics and has ambitions to be a leader must pay by the rules, especially of a revolutionary democratic party,” Mutsvangwa said.
“Zanu PF is not Makandiwa’s church where he can have himself, his wife and his kids and his followers and say this is my church. President Mnangagwa is an elected leader of a revolutionary democratic party, there is no godly anointment in Zanu PF.
“You want to become a leader by induction, like a magnet saying ‘because I am a piece of iron I must also be magnetised by the president?’ Even if the president said there is a secret agreement, we would censor him.
“That’s why the president was very clear on his tenure. He cleansed himself. Why, when he has done his job very well as a democrat, would he choose to exit by donating the seat to someone else?”
Zanu PF’s next elective congress is scheduled for 2027. The battle for succession is intensifying, with Chiwenga allegedly vowing to resist Mnangagwa’s earlier plans to extend his term of office.
Despite President Mnangagwa’s recent announcement that he will respect the Constitution and step down as President in 2028, his commitment to this timeline is being questioned due to the actions of some Zanu PF supporters.
These supporters continue to chant the slogan ‘2028 vaMnangagwa vanenge vachipo’, which translates to ‘Mnangagwa will still be there beyond 2028’, casting doubt on the President’s sincerity.
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